Tag: museums

Montville Township Museum/Montville Historical Society 6 Taylortown Road Montville, NJ 07045

Montville Township Museum/Montville Historical Society

6 Taylortown Road

Montville, NJ 07045

https://montvillenj.org/426/Montville-Museum

https://www.montvilletwphistoricalsociety.com/museums

https://www.montvilletwphistoricalsociety.com/

Open: The third Sunday of each month 1:00pm-4:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46639-d27079954-Reviews-Montville_Township_Museum-Montville_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html

The front of the Montville Township Museum at 6 Taylortown Road

The front sign

I stopped at the Morris Township Museum on a busy Sunday afternoon. The museum, housed in a building that once served the community as a school, post office and a government center.

Each of the cases holds all sorts of artifacts that reflects the towns developments and growth. The first case line is filled with fossils found in the area and small artifacts from the Lenape Indians.

The next case was filled with accessories from Victorian objects from jewelry to household items. Lining the walls are objects from the high school, personal family records for people to search on their loved one’s genealogy. The docents are hand from the Historical Society to answer any questions about the museum.

The History of the Building:

(from the museum website)

The building was originally “Old Schoolhouse #10”. It was built in 1867 and occupies the site of a former 1837 school. One of the early superintendents of Morris Canal, Mr. William Hickson , was its builder.

Located at 6 Taylortown Road just down the street from Route 202 is a red brick building with a sign out front proclaiming it the “Montville Township Historical Museum”. Within its walls are articles, pictures, tapes, and memories that will carry you back through the years to times long past.

The front of the museum

About the Building: The building was constructed following the Civil War, in the year 1867. It was one of the first one-room schools in the area. The land was donated by the eastern district superintendent of the then-thriving Morris Canal, one of the many waterways then in existence to help promote trade and travel in America. William Hixson gave the land to the town for public purposes, with the stipulation that it could be reclaimed if used for a purpose with which his family disagreed.

The historic sign of the school

Reconstruction: The building began serving Montville as a one-room school heated by a potbellied stove. It also served as an auxiliary to the local Methodist Church. It became the gathering place for the local temperance league in the 1890s, and was the scene of many temperance meetings in the town.

The gardens of the front the museum

The historical collection of the museum

The history of the property:

(from the Museum website)

Entrance: Today, as you enter the museum, you walk into an entrance foyer. Probably once used to hold the boots and coats of school children, it is now an entrance hallway. The door to the main room is straight ahead, and upon entering, you step into history.

Building Uses: Forty-four years after being erected, it changed from a school to the center of political activities as the town hall. It was the town hall until 1939, when it became the town’s post office. It served as such until 1961, when a post office was constructed close by (Taylortown Road and Route 202).

Making it a Museum: After the postmen moved out of the building, the township considered selling the property to a business concern but the original Hixson agreement was recalled, and the building remained unused – until the celebration of New Jersey’s 300th Anniversary.

At that time, a Tercentenary committee was founded in the Township to help celebrate the anniversary and the Committee decided to make the establishment of a museum its main project. Armed with donations from local residents, committee members renovated the building and reopened it in 1963 as a museum.

The inside of the museum

The part of the canal that exists around the museum

Around the corner from the museum is the corner from where the Morris Canal lock was located which was on display at the museum.$

The area around where the Morris Canal was located

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Canal

https://www.morriscanalgreenway.org/

Morris Canal

I traveled further down the road to see what is left as the canal that has since grown over. Before railroads and cars, the canal system is where goods and services from the interior of the state to the cities such as New York City and Newark.

The sign marking the site of the canal and the lock system

The lock location

The grown over canal system

It is an interesting museum whose artifacts represent the three communities in Montville township.

U.S. Life Saving Station 30 801 East 4th Street Ocean City, NJ 08226

U.S. Life Saving Station 30 Museum

801 East 4th Street

Ocean City, NJ 08226

(609) 398-5553

https://uslifesavingstation30.com/

https://www.facebook.com/U.S.LifeSavingStation30/

https://www.ocmuseum.org/about-us/museum-history

Open: Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm/Monday-Friday Closed/Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46696-d14961805-r1033640492-U_S_Life_Saving_Station_30-Ocean_City_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The front of the museum

The front sign of the building

Short History of the Museum:

(from the museum website)

Also known as the U.S. Coast Guard Station No. 126, this is the only life-saving station (now museum) of its design in NJ (1 of 6 in the country) still in existence. The designer and architect was James Lake Parkinson in a Carpenter Gothic style. This building is one of 42 stations built in New Jersey. It was also the workplace of the brave surfmen who were the beachfront First Responders of the day.

The anchor outside the building

The historical plaque outside the building

The History of the Building and Museum:

(from the State of NJ Historic website)

The U.S. Life Saving Station in Ocean City is significant as an example of a significant type of life saving station and for its association with the activities of the U.S. Life Saving Service. The building was constructed in 1885 in what was referred to as the “1882 type.” There were 25 life-saving stations constructed in this style. In 1905 the building’s footprint was expanded to nearly twice its original size. The expansion was done in a style unique to New Jersey Life Saving Stations.

In 1915 the U.S. Life Saving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service were combined to form the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard continued to utilize the building until it was decommissioned during the 1940s and sold. It was used as a private residence until the City purchased it in May 2010.

The first room inside was the formal dining room where guests who visited or who had been rescued had dined. It was a rather formal affair.

I visited the museum on a weekend day to learn of the rescue procedures and the job these men did on a day to day basis. The first thing I learned was how shifting tides can change an island.

This building which now sits about four blocks inland was once at the shoreline a hundred years ago. Talk about change and Mother Nature’s role in this.

The first room I visited was the formal dining room in the newer extension of the building. This would be where the officers and men would entertain guests and visitors to the building. It could be a casual or formal affair.

The first floor formal dining room

The entertainment for the evening was either board games or a music box

Some of the items salvaged from the sea

The Life Guard officer formal outfit was worn for formal affairs

The officers would be dressed formally to receive guests

The next room over was the Rescue room and door where the boats and other equipment would be held when the alarm sounded.

The docent discussed how the doors were opened and the boats needed to be pulled out on a stormy night. Everything you needed had to be close by, in good shape and ready to go.

The rescue boats and pulleys that would be used in the sea

The ropes and pulleys used to assist in the rescue

The lanterns were used as communication between shore watch and the tower

The equipment used to repair the items used for rescue

The rescue boat and the items used for a water rescue

The additional boats used in rescue

Some boats were used for fishing and collecting shell fish

The Sneak Box was used for duck hunting to camouflage yourself

The sneak box

We then toured the second floor sleeping room for the crew. This offered a great view of the sea when the building was at shore line. These men were given good accommodations for the time.

While not very private, it was comfortable and served its purpose for a job where you might not get a good nights sleep.

The sleeping quarters

The main sleeping room was for a crew of six

The loft lead to the tower where the look out for the evening would sleep (it is not open to tours right now).

The loft area from the window

We then headed back downstairs where we toured the station manager’s room and office.

The station manager’s room off from the kitchen

The station manager’s office where all the monthly paperwork was done and business was conducted.

The kitchen

The Station Manager’s office was right next to the kitchen stove so that the room was kept warm during the winter months and on cool nights.

The kitchen stove

All the meals for the crew and visitors were cooked either by the men or their wives might be allowed to visit and assist in duties in the building.

The kitchen

All the storage of the foodstuffs has to be accounted for because getting them was rough with no cars for transportation and no bridges to cross to the mainland.

The gift shop

The museum and grounds

The museum offers a glimpse of the everyday life of these brave men who were on call 24/7 and performed such dangerous work. Ocean City has done a wonderful job preserving this legacy.

The museum has docents on hand for more formal tours and are very detailed on their knowledge of the building and its contents. It is a very interesting look at Ocean City’s past.

Beacon Historical Society 61 Leonard Street Beacon, NY 12508

Beacon Historical Society

61 Leonard Street

Beacon, NY 12508

(845) 831-0514

https://www.beaconhistorical.org/

https://www.facebook.com/BeaconHistoricalSociety/

Open: Sunday- Wednesday Closed/ Thursday 10:00am-12:00pm/Friday Closed/Saturday 1:00pm-3:00pm

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47291-d15772700-Reviews-Beacon_Historical_Society-Beacon_New_York.html

The Beacon Historical Society at 61 Leonard Street at Christmas time

The outside of the building in the Summer

The sign for the Beacon Historical Society at Christmas time

The outside sign in the Summer

The Mission of the Society:

(From the Society pamphlet

The Beacon Historical Society was founded in 1976 to preserve, collect and interpret the rich history of the City of Beacon and its predecessor Villages of Fishkill Landing and Matteawan.

History of the Society:

(From the Museum website)

Established in 1976, the Beacon Historical Society showcases Beacon’s history through exhibitions, collections, programs, books and an informative monthly newsletter. The Beacon Historical Society is proud to serve as Beacon’s repository of rare photographs, paintings and prints, Hudson River ship models, objects and ephemera from local factories and Main Street businesses, records of local cemeteries and Civil War veterans, maps of Beacon, Fishkill Landing and Matteawan.

I recently did a walking tour of Downtown Beacon, NY and was impressed by the numbers of restaurants, bars and stores in the downtown area. It is an impressive downtown with very few empty stores and impressive and lively street life. On my first trip to the Beacon Historical Society I learned this was not always the case.

I recently visited this small historical society packed with information on the history not just of the City of Beacon but the surrounding Hudson River area. The museum gives an in depth view of the industrial history of the area and the highs and lows of many of the river communities. These small communities have seen a renaissance over the last decade especially during COVID and many of the older towns have seen new life being breathed into them.

The first exhibition I looked at was the Photographer Patrick Prosser exhibition (being shared with the Howland Cultural Center) ‘Work in Decay: The City of Beacon NY’.

Artist Patrick Prosser

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Beaconphotogroup/posts/30007658412154532

Photographer Patrick Prossner was born and raised in Beacon and a graduate of Beacon High School and SUNY New Paltz with BFA. His work on this project started in 1982 photographing the decay of his home town (Author’s Bio on BHS website).

The photographer moved to the area in the early 1980’s during a time when Beacon’s mills and factories were closing and the downtown was boarded up. It shows what the downtown business district looked like and the changes that were made to shape it today.

The sign for the exhibition

Pictures of the former industrial zone

The pictures showed a once vibrant industrial community and the changes once these factories closed.

The changes in the surrounding area

The exhibition really shows the transformation of these towns from the once industrial hubs to the artsy communities filled with galleries and bars that many of them have become.

Downtown Beacon today filled with art galleries, shops and small restaurants

The former mill is now a luxury hotel and restaurant overlooking the same waterfall that used to power the mill

These small communities factories have now become hotels, lofts and in some cases new cottage industries have moved in. Time transforms areas and what is old becomes new again.

The first floor gallery

The second exhibition that I walked through was the ‘From Haverstraw to Beacon: Inside the Brickyards the built New York City’, an extensive look at the brickyards and the clay deposits that once lined the Hudson River that build most buildings in the City in the end of the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries.

The exhibition sign

The map of the location of the brickyards along the Hudson River. This depended on the location of the clay deposits.

Transportation of freight and people for both recreation and business was described in this display of different boats down the Hudson River.

The display of understanding the brick business

Display of the different companies and processes of making bricks

The display of people that make up the industry

The process of mining, making, drying and creating the bricks that would end up in New York City

Some of the bricks and the companies from the New York market that were created in the region

Another display on the companies

More of the companies and processes to making bricks

The exhibition was a very interesting look at what was once a dominant industry in the area but like any industry as the clay ran out and building materials changed, the industry diminished in the area and that way of life changed. With it as well was the transformation of the area.

The former brick factories

The Brockway Brick Company that built Macy’s original building in Manhattan

There were smaller exhibitions as well all over the two floors of displays. First there was a handmade dollhouse on the first floor that is a favorite of the elementary school students.

The handmade dollhouse on the first floor

On the seconded floor is a display is the socially prominent Van Nydeck family. The family donated their family tree and many family heirlooms and portraits.

Part of the Schenck Van Nydeck family tree

The Van Nydeck family heirlooms

There was also artwork and artifacts from the surrounding community on display all over the museum.

The painting is by a local artist and the pottery is locally made

The window is a Tiffany window from a local church that the Historical Society saved for the museum

The first floor gallery

The docent told me after I toured the exhibition that there are more exhibitions being planned for the future.

Touring Downtown Beacon, NY:

After the trip through the Historical Society, I ventured and walked Downtown Beacon. The neighborhood has certainly changed since the early eighties.

Downtown Beacon today

Downtown Beacon today with Mount Beacon in the distance

The beautiful floral arrangements in the downtown today

Mahanoy Area Historical Society 1 West Center Street #5 Mahanoy City, PA 17948

Mahanoy Area Historical Society

1West Center Street#5

Mahanoy City, PA 17948

(570) 773-1295

https://www.mahanoyhistory.org/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Mahanoy-Area-Historical-Society-100063570881125/

Open: Sunday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Friday 12:00pm-3:00pm/Saturday Closed

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13476787?m=19905

The front of the Mahanoy Area Historical Society at 1 West Centre Street#5 in Mahanoy City, PA

(from the museum website)

The museum is located on the first floor of the James J. Rhoades Downtown Center at the corner of Main and Centre Streets in Mahanoy City.

A representation of the Coal Mining Industry in Mahanoy City

The inside of this interesting museum

The Mission of the Museum:

(From the museum pamphlet):

To preserve and protect the history of the Mahanoy Area and to work toward the restoration, revitalization and future of the community.

A glimpse into the areas contributions to the Mining industry

I took time on my visit to Mahanoy City, PA to visit the Mahanoy Area Historical Society and discovered an interesting little museum that tells the story of this small city, whose roots and founding are around the local mines. The displays show a tight knit and proud community even in the changes in the economy and the status of the mines.

There is a lot of memorabilia on the contributions of local residents to our armed forces

The pride of the community to our country

The characters of the movers and shakers of the community in The Mahanoy City Social Club, who once dominated the business scene in town.

The display of the Kaier Brewery, once a dominate business in town until the late 1960’s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_D._Kaier_Company

https://www.thebeerprofessor.com/?tag=kaiers-beer

The knocking down of the old Brewery Building:

https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/schuylkill-county/watch-the-old-kaier-brewery-come-crashing-down-in-mahanoy-city/523-f8ce5f7e-136f-4bff-806e-d5debcd86553

The former Kaier Mansion is right down the road from the old brewery is now a B & B

https://www.kaiermansion.com/

Review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g53087-d1517244-Reviews-Kaier_Mansion_Bed_Breakfast-Mahanoy_City_Pennsylvania.html?m=19905

The plaque on the old mansion down the road from the museum

The history of the Kaier Brewery family in the area

The local businesses in the downtown and the bottling plants that once dominated the area for beverages produced around Mahanoy City.

There were many individual bottlers in the area

The many companies that dominated the area

New York and Hollywood have their roots in the community too with the Dorsey Brothers, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey raised around both here and Shenandoah.

The historical marker in Shenandoah

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Dorsey

The other being Victor Schertzinger, who was a director and composer, who won the Academy Award for best original music for the film ‘One Night of Love’.

The marker near the Historical Society

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Schertzinger

The Clip from “One Night of Love”

His Oscar was donated to the museum by his family

A big part of the museum is the collection from the Mahanoy City and the Mahanoy Township school systems. There is a big history of sports and with school pride in this area.

The display of school memorabilia at the museum

The high school memorabilia from Mahanoy City schools

High School memoribilia

High school pride

School uniforms and clothing

Awards, plaques and yearbooks

The school and local band equipment

The para-Military is prominent in the collection with many families donating their family items. Items from the Police and Fire departments are prominently on display.

Display cases of local items

Civic items in the collection

More historical items from around the community

Local artifacts from the community

There were many businesses that were created in the area when innovation and technology were changing between the wars.

The clothing and beauty industries were founded and thriving businesses in the community.

Items from the mining industry are prominently displayed in the front of the museum.

The front of the museum

The museum shows the creation, growth and pride in this and the surrounding communities. Innovation and creation were once prominent in Mahanoy City now waiting for another generation to discover it and keep this tradition alive.

The Church community

After the visit to the museum, I walked around the downtown to see the before and after effects of the mines and the industries that have closed down over the years.

Downtown Mahanoy City, PA

https://www.mahanoycity.org/

While it does look depressed in some ways, you can still the spark of a community that needs to be discovered again. Somewhere buried in this community is the next new business or innovative idea that will once again showcase it again. There is a lot of pride still here and it shows in the history in this museum.

Exploring the downtown area

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